On Monday, students will again fill the campuses at North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College, and faculty will again open their office doors and take to the white board for another semester.

The retirement paperwork for more than two dozen employees of local school systems was processed in December, nearly nine months after it was announced that waiting until the end of the school year could cost retirees serious money.

Wednesday marked the first day back in school for Hall County students after news of the Connecticut school shooting that claimed the lives of 26 students and school staff spread throughout the nation and world.

Travelers wandering west on Dawsonville Highway out of downtown Gainesville traverse the winding road that connects Hall County's seat to its neighboring Dawsonville, passing old country stores and newly built gas stations alike.